Dynamic duo step up to share Koroit netball coaching

KOROIT has appointed two of its greatest players to lead the club’s A grade netball team in 2014.

Midcourt dynamos Kate Dobson and Kate Foster, both 35, have been named as joint coaches taking over from Jacqui Bowman who will continue on as a player.

Bowman coached the Saints for the past three seasons, leading the team to premierships in 2011/12 and to a grand final in 2013 when North Warrnambool Eagles produced an upset to defeat the Saints and stop their quest for a record-equalling four straight flags.

Both Dobson and Foster have coached the Saints’ A grade team before, with Foster leading the team to runners-up in 2009 and Dobson the team to a premiership in 2010.

Both players missed the Saints’ most recent premiership in 2012 due to pregnancy.

Dobson is one of the club’s most decorated players winning three A grade league best and fairests and starring in six of the club’s seven A grade premierships.

Foster is also a multiple premiership player having played in five premierships including a best-on-court performance in the 2007 grand final win.

Both were part of Koroit’s historic first Hampden league A grade premiership in 2001.

The Saints will go into 2014 missing two key players from last season with Stacey O’Sullivan having retired and Gabrielle Brown having moved to Melbourne.

But the Saints have also recruited strongly and will welcome back past premiership players including Holly Greene, who spent last year in Melbourne, and Carly Pulling, who played for Warrnambool in 2013.

Koroit has also landed the services of Teegan Lange, a highly rated young player from Monivae College in Hamilton.

Dobson said the Saints would begin pre-season in February and there was plenty of enthusiasm for the year ahead.

She said the disappointment of last season’s grand final loss would be used as some motivation without being too invasive in the players’ thoughts.

“North are a great team and they have now set the standard and we will be looking to learn some lessons from the loss without dwelling on it,” Dobson said yesterday.

“The hunger is still there for us and we have a good mix of some older players and some really good young players across the court.”